01. May You Live In Interesting Times (Blog 1)02. Is This The Dream?03. Under My Feet (Blog 2)04. Bedlam Days05. Faultlines06. Drawn Outside (Blog 3)07. Here Come The Envoys08. Crush Culture09. The Clock Of The Long Now10. Fears Aren't Toys11. I Called Him In Vain (Blog 4)12. Passengers13. Xo Va Yu14. The Saint Of Doors15. Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed16. As The Rain (Blog 5)17. One Last Perfect Day18. Myowndreamland (Final Blog)

Suffice it to say that Tinyfish is not a very conventional prog entity. At least as much as I've heard from their 2010 album The Big Red Spark. Now, Simon Godfrey has gone solo under the Shineback moniker and decided to expand the musical boundaries by throwing together pop, prog and electronica. Still prog? Yes, sort of. Inasmuch as it's a conceptual album, and changing music in nature. The rest? Well, it tests the boundaries all right.

Strictly speaking, abundant inclusion of electronica is a sure way to show me the nearest exit. I rarely take the wholehearted liking to it. However, as always, there are exceptions like Pure Reason Revolution, The Pineapple Thief, Frost* (which, by the way, is the band of Simon's brother Jem), and some others. But naturally I was cautious to pick up Shineback as it seemed quite a big step further from my comfort zone.

However, Shineback seems to have clicked already on the first listen. I think it's the prog foundation that does it, and the electronica is a layering around and on top of it. Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed is truly a complex album as far as sound layering is concerned, the details are intricate and in abundance, layer upon layer not only in the foreground but also in the ambient background. In short, there's lots of stuff waiting to be discovered.

Since I really feel out of my depth with this album, I'll try to keep it short. Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed easily covers an area from prog rock to ambient to dub step, guitars and electronica co-existing in distorted atmosphere in harmony, it mixes effortlessly pop rhythms and guitar solos. And the resulting complex blend is impressive work of art that still feels like a proper prog album, with a twisted story to back it up.

Man, this sounds like an interesting album. I appreciate your noble efforts to review it, even though you admit you feel out of your depth with this album.

Thanks, it really wasn't easy to put stuff into words for this one. And, btw, you can find the album on Bandcamp.

I.

----
No friends for playing games
No foes who scorn my name
Computerized machines of steel and rust
/---/
No friends in my house on Mars
No foes in my house on Mars
I was born in my house on Mars
I will die in my house on Mars
-- Ayreon - My House on Mars

I'm loving the album. This is totally my kind of thing. These kind of elements you never really see combined with prog!

As long as someone is happy finding something new to listen to, I'm also a happy camper. Cheers!

I.

----
No friends for playing games
No foes who scorn my name
Computerized machines of steel and rust
/---/
No friends in my house on Mars
No foes in my house on Mars
I was born in my house on Mars
I will die in my house on Mars
-- Ayreon - My House on Mars